Material feeding and crushing apparatus



Nov. 17, 15 42. HARTFORD 2,302,215

MATERIAL FEEDING AND CRUSHING APPARATUS v4 SheetsSheet 1 Filed June 28,1941 NVENTOR Jim - Nov. 1'7, 1942- E. E. HARTFORD MATERIAL FEEDING ANDCRUSHING' APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 AT TQRNEY INov. 17, 1942. E. E. HARTFORD MATERIAL FEEDING AND CRUSHING APPARATUS 4Sheets-Sheei 3 Filed June 28, 1941 1/ III/1111111,,

lNvENToR ATTORNEY E. E. HARTFORD 2,302,215

Nov. 17, 1942.

MATERIAL FEEDING AND CRUSHING APPARATUS 4.- Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June28, 1941 as 32 g I" N A A H rl l [5a 4O 27 28 80 y I; J I I 'l 1 v 1, 1/

y --L i, 2s m 1 26 INVEN'I'OR ing to provide a tandem drive.

Patented Nov. 17, 1942 MATERIAL FEEDING AND CRUSHING A APPARATUS 7Edward E. Hartford, Toronto, Ohio Application June 28, 1941, Serial No.400,172

Claims.

This invention relates to a novel apparatus for continuously feedingmaterials through an opening, and. is designed particularly forcontinu-,

ously feeding tempered clay into a forming or extrusion press.

Another object of equal importance is to provide a novelmechanicalapparatus which may be utilized for crushing or pulverizingsolid materials, as stone, raW clay, raw shale, coal, or any solidmaterial to be reduced.

My invention maybe readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate certain present preferred embodiments of theinvention and in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectionalview of the apparatus adapted to feed tempered clay into a forming orextrusion press;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the same;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially online 3-3, of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view, partially broken away and with someparts shown in sec-- tion, of a modified form of the apparatus used forcrushing or pulverizing solid materials;

Figure 5 is a detail view of the means for adjusting the breaker plateof the crusher appara-. tus; and

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of said drawings, the referencenumeral I designates a housing for the apparatus and the numeral!designates a hopper for receiving tempered clay in lumps.

Bolted to the end of the housing I at opposite sides thereof arebearings 3 in which is journaled a shaft 4 designed to be rotated by anysuitable source of power (not shown). A-V-belt sheave 5 l is'fixed tosaid shaft 4 at opposite sides of the housing and each of said sheavesis connected by V-belts 6 to a corresponding larger sheave l keyed to ashaft 8 at opposite sides of the hous- While V-belts are herein shownand described for actuating the apparatus, it will be understood thatflat belts; link chains; sprockets or the like may beutilized for thispurpose.

Keyed to the shaft 8 and disposed interiorly of the housing beneath thehopper 2 is the hub 9 of a hollow drum Ill. The drum shown in thedrawings has a pentagonal shape in transverse section, but it will beunderstood that, while this shape may be preferred, the shape may alsobe that of any regular polygon having an unequal number of sides.

The shaft 8 is journaled in oppositely disposed bearings l2 providedwith webs l3 on their upper and lower surfaces. Said webs are adapted tobe slidably received in spaced, parallel, longitudinally disposed gibsI4 which are bolted tothe housing. Obviously, therefore, said shaft 8and all the elements carried thereby are free to move longitudinally inthe housing, such movement being permitted by slots I5 in the housingside walls, as shown in Fig. 3.

Extending transversely interiorly of the housing is a fixed axle IE onwhich a roller l'l freely rotates, the rotation being facilitated byroller bearings l8 interposed intermediate the shaft and the roller.

The belts 6 are maintained taut by weighted idler pulleys I9 borne byswinging arms 20 pivotally attached to a shaft 2| borne by the hous-.ing. The weight of the swinging arms 20 and pulleys l9 exert a pressureon the upper lengths of the belts so that the belts are taut at alltimes and the perimeter of the drum ID is constantly in contact with theroller I! because of the drag or pull on the lower lengths of the belts6, together with the weight exerted by the idler pulleys and swingingarms. 7

In practice, chunks of tempered clay in lump form are placed inthe'hopper2 and the apparadiametrically opposite the drum faceapproaching the passage 22 so that, when said vertex is contacted by theroller [7, the diametrically opposite fiat face of the drum and thequantity of the clay engaged thereby are forced toward the openingthereby forcing the clay through a "screen grid 23 into the passage 22leading to the press, the grid 23 serving to prevent clay already in theopening from being forced backward from the passage into the feedingapparatus, During the period that the clay is engaged by the face of thedrum and is being moved toward the passage, it is manifestly beingsubjected to a squeezing action so that a substantial portion of theinherent air is squeezed and extracted do so by reason of the shaftbearings l2 being slidable in the gibs l4. Any slack in the belts 6 istaken up by the idlers l9 and swinging arms 28 so that the belts aretaut at all times.

As shown in the drawings, the plate faces of the drum H) areindividually removable for purposes of replacement and repair.

Referring, now, to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, illustrating the crushingapparatus, the reference numeral l designates a housing for theapparatus and the numeral 2 designates a hopper for receiving the solidmaterial to be acted upon.

Power from a suitable source (not shown) drives a shaft on the oppositeends of which a driving pinion 26 is keyed. Each pinion 26 meshes with agear 27 keyed to the shaft li on which the drum Ill is mounted. Theshaft 8 is journaled in bearings 28 provided in the upper ends ofoppositely disposed swinging arms 29 which are free to oscillate aboutthe drive shaft 25. The polygonal perimeter of the drum Ill ismaintained in constant contact with the roller H by spiral compressionsprings 39 interposed between a boss formed on each swinging arm 29 anda spring support 3| attached to the housing.

A breaker plate 32 is carried interiorly of the housing in alignmentwith the forward face of the drum Ili Said breaker plate 32 is adaptedto be moved toward and away from the drum It! so as to regulate the sizeof the solids acted upon. This adjustment is provided for by means of atapered wedge 33 interposed between the rear surface of the plate 32 andan inclined strengthened portion of the housing I The adjustment is madeby temporarily loosening the retaining bolts 34 and then manuallyrotating the adjusting screw 35, the upper end of which is freelyrotatable in a boss 36 extending from the housing and the lower threadedend of which is received by threads provided in a lug 31 formed on thewedge 33 and which protrudes exteriorly cf the housing through a slot38. Obviously, lowering of the wedge will force the breaker plateinwardly toward the drum to decrease the space therebetween for crushingfiner solids and vice versa.

Stationary brackets 39 fixed to the housing afford permanent support forthe breaker plate and assures that the plate will be maintained inproper vertical position while adjustment is being made.

The purpose of the above described apparatus,

the drum in, the material gravitating from the hopper 2 on to the drumfrom whence it is conveyed by rotation of the drum to the space betweena face of the drum and the breaker plate where it is crushed or groundand is thereafter free to gravitate through the open bottom of thehousing into an appropriate receptacle.

An opening 40 is provided in the housing to permit oscillation of theshaft 8, said opening being of a size which will permit of access to theinterior for making repairs, etc.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for applying pressure to materials including avertically disposed member, a rotatable drum of polygonal cross-sectionhaving an unequal number of faces, means to supply material to saidfaces of the drum, means to rotate the drum whereby to cause same tosuccessively present its faces to the member thereby to exert pressureon the material between a face of the drum and the member, means tomount the drum for bodily longitudinal movements to and from saidmember, means fixed at a point stationary with respect to the drum, andacting against the perimeter thereof at a point diametrically oppositeto the member to maintain the faces of the drum in predeterminedrelation to the member, and means normally urging the drum into contactwith said drum engaging means.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drum maintainingmeans includes a rotatable backing roller.

3. An apparatus for applying pressure to materials including avertically disposed member, a rotary drum of polygonal cross-sectionhaving an unequal number of similar angularly related faces, means tosupply material to the faces of said drum, means to rotate the drumwhereby to cause same to successively present its faces to the memberwhereby to exert pressure on the material between a face of the drum andthe member, means to mount the drum for bodily longitudinal movements toand from said memher, a backing roller having its axis of rotation fixedat points stationary with respect to the drum and acting against theperimeter thereof at a point diametrically opposite to the member tomaintain the faces of the drum in predetermined relation to the member,and spring actuated means to hold the perimeter of the drum in constantengagement with the roller.

4. An apparatus for applying pressure to material in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the member has a substantially plane material engagingface substantially equal in area to the faces of the drum.

5. An apparatus of the type set forth including a material-engagingmember, a drum of polygonal crosssection mounted for bodily longitudinalmovements and having an unequal number of sides cooperable with themember to squeeze material between the member and drum sides, means torotate the drum, backing means for the drum, acting against theperimeter thereof, and means for constantly maintaining contact of thedrum periphery and the backing means during rotation of the drum.

EDWARD E. HARTFORD.

